1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an airbrush, more particularly to a unitary hand-held airbrush for dispensing liquid particles onto a workpiece.
2. Background Art
Airbrushes are typically limited to a small market of users due to the high costs of equipment, the amount of equipment required and the difficulties of use. These limitations generally limit the use of airbrushes to skilled artisans, seasoned hobbyists or the like, and discourage random users or temporal hobbyists whom are unwilling to dedicate the funds and work required to procure and efficiently use a conventional airbrush.
Conventional airbrushes require a fair amount of equipment in order to effectively use the airbrush. This equipment comprises the airbrush itself, a hand-held tool which operates as an atomizer compressing air to spray a liquid onto a surface or workpiece. The airbrush typically introduces the liquid such as paint into the compressed air such that the liquid becomes entrained in an air stream as liquid particles which exit the airbrush as a mist. The compressed air is provided by an air compressor, aerosol cans or any apparatus or mechanism for releasing compressed air.
Air compressors are typically expensive and heavy in weight. Thus, the cost of a compressor requires a user to dedicate a substantial amount of funds in order to begin using the airbrush. Aerosol cans are limited to the volume of each can and require a user to periodically change cans in order to continuously use the airbrush. Further, aerosol cans require that the user stock a plurality of cans in order to perform continuous use.
The airbrush itself is a high cost unit, typically having many parts manufactured to tight specifications and formed of expensive materials. These airbrushes typically comprise an elongate handheld body having a trigger, a valve operated air inlet and a liquid paint feed. The outlet nozzle of the airbrush typically includes an internal needle for regulating the outlet flow of the air stream. Many of these components are typically machined of stainless steel or aluminum requiring high costs in materials and manufacturing. The paint feed may be a liquid paint reservoir attached to the airbrush, or an aerosol paint mixture introduced into the airbrush as the source of compressed air. Airbrushes of this type are typically hard to clean, requiring a user to disassemble many components and clean with solvent and/or water before use of a different color or after completion of use. Accordingly, use of various colors is both tedious and costly to the end user. Moreover, the quantity of features provided by a conventional airbrush are relatively matched in the cost and complexity of the airbrush.
The prior art teaches use of the above-described airbrush in combination with a paint pen or marker having a nib introduced into the air stream, after the air stream exits the outlet nozzle of the airbrush. This approach eliminates some of the difficulties of using liquid paint feeds introduced into the air stream as described above.
The market recognizes a need for conventional airbrushes for painting nails either in beauty salons or for at-home use. Accordingly, manufacturers typically retail a conventional airbrush kit including a simplified conventional airbrush and aerosol cans for providing the compressed air supply. Such conventional airbrushes, rather than including an enlarged liquid reservoir, typically have a small liquid reservoir or merely a recess for holding a relatively small amount of liquid to be sprayed by the airbrush. Furthermore, the relatively small airbrush is generally easier to clean than larger liquid sources or reservoirs. These kits typically include a plurality of liquid paint sources contained within a plurality of paint bottles having needle drop-style spouts for dispensing a relatively minimal amount of paint into the airbrush.
The prior art also offers a low end, competitively priced alternative to the high end airbrushes described above. The target audience, of which this product is marketed, is typically children. These low end products typically include a plurality of markers or pens as liquid sources, rather than use of a liquid reservoir, aerosol paint supply or the like. Further, the airbrush is typically comprised of low cost plastic components providing little or no adjustability in the spray pattern or flow of the air stream.
The source of compressed air for these low end airbrushes is typically manual. The airbrush may include a mouthpiece for an inlet orifice such that a user may create an air stream of pressurized air by exhaling into the mouthpiece. This method limits the flow of the airbrush to the individual breaths of the user. This method further requires that the airbrush is held proximate to the line of sight of the user, thus limiting the view and operation of the airbrush. Other sources of compressed air include a manual air pump or elastomeric bulb mounted to the inlet of the airbrush allowing a user to manually provide compressed air. Although the prior art teaches a low cost solution for providing compressed air to an airbrush, the manually supplied compressed air results in non-continuous airflow, thereby providing an intermittent spray and poorly or uneven painted surfaces.
Low end airbrushes are also provided with a manual compressor or air pump defined as a separate or stand alone unit connected to the airbrush by a hose, tube or the like. Accordingly, this additional equipment leads to increased costs and reduced flexibility and maneuverability of the airbrush.
Various techniques and designs have provided airbrushes for dispensing liquid particles onto a surface or workpiece. Although the prior art has improved the cost and maneuverability of airbrushes, the quality and adjustability of spray is compromised in light of high end airbrush products. Accordingly, it is the goal of the present invention to provide a simplified, low cost, unitary, handheld airbrush incorporating the advantages of an adjustable high end airbrush.